Busline coupling-socket.



'PATENTED JULYZB, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- [pk/ENT FQ 4,11. HILL. 4 4 BUSLINE COUPLING SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1.1904.

\AATHES PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

v G. H. HILL. BUSLINB COUPLING SOCKET. APPLIOA'IION IILIID OCT. 1.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

llO- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. GEORGE H. ElILL, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSI GNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BUsLnvn COUPLING-SOCKET.

No.fs94,e44.

" Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 1, 19a. Serial No. 22 ,745.

Patented July 28, 1908.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE H. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectad county of Schenectady, State of New Yor have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Busline Coupler--- which the following is a specifimore particularly to connectors adapted for use in railway equipments wherein 1t is desired to couple together conductors carried by the individual cars of a train.

It is usual in trains made up of electrically propelled vehicles to have a number of train wires which serve to light and heat .the train to operate signals, andto connect the loca motor controllers to a master I controller whereby the motors of the several cars ma be simultaneously and similarly controlle and in some cases one or more train wires carry the motor currents. Manyofthese train wires carry only small currents but those directly in the motor circuits mustat times necessarily carry hea currents and the light and heating wires a 0 act as main buslines; and in the case of these wires great care must be exercised in properl safeguarding them, not o'nlyon the cars ut vat the points at which the wires of two cars are, The connections between coupled together. cars is made by means of coupler sockets secured to the car body thereof into which the cal wires are-led,

and a jum er which joins the coupler sockets at the a acent ends of consecutive cars.

The coupler sockets being'secured directlgto the car frame, are electrically connecte to the ground and, where the terminals are connected to the collector shoes of the ,car or train, then in case theijum'p'er plug is withdrawn while there is current flowin the cou leryas might occur should a trainman p out the plug with the lights and heaters in circuit or in case the tram pulled apart while the motors were runnin an arc may at times be established from t e energized terminal or terminals of the coupler socket to the framework of the car to the y constructing the entire socket member of insulating material, but it would have to be at opposite ends through ground. This difiiculty might be overcome The object of the present invention'con- .sists in so constructlng and arranging the parts of a connector of the character describedthat the danger of arcin to ground upon breaking the connection w 'le current is flowin is obviated.

A furt er object of the present invention consists in features of construction whereby acompact and serviceable connector is produced. Y

To the above ends I contemplate constructing that member of the connector which is supported 11 on the car, referably the socket member, alt ough the p ug member might be soplaced'with a body composed of insulating material having sockets within which the contact members are dis osed and metal caps at opposite ends thereo but insulated, from each other. One'cap is secured to the car frame and supportsthe connector member,

while the other protects the face of the mem-' her and carries a cover for closing the end of the member when disconnected from its complementaryl member. By this arrangement, should an, are be started between terminals and reach the outer cap there would be no circuit. therefor to the point, since thecap'is, insu ated from the supporting cap and from the ground. The supportingcap and its accessories also act to old t e leads securely in place. Thepresent vention will be more fully understood in connection with the following description and the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through two coupling heads forming part of a conround from that nector arranged in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the coupler head forming the socket member; Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2 but showing a further modification; Fig. 5

Fi' 3. 3 Similar reference characters will be used to .denote the corresponding parts throughout the specification and dra'wm s.

'is a plan view of the plug member shown in circuit through the rails requiring therefore I 'body portion 1 of insulating material, this being conveniently made cup-shaped as "shown, although it is evident that any other shape may be given thereto, and it is providedwith a socket 2 within which the plugmember B is adapted to fit. Into this socket project a series of contacts or terminals 3, 4,

5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and leads a extend rearwardly from these contacts and out of the coupler head; the leads being preferably collected into the form of a cable D in the usual manner. A cap or frame A comprising preferably two sections 10 and 11, is clamped upon the rear end of the body 1 and, by means 0 flanges 12 and 13 upon the respective halves of the ca the coupler headis secured to the frame 0 the car. It is evident that the ca may be formed of a single piece molde in position or that it may be made of more than two sections; but I have found that it may be conveniently constructed of two separate halves which areplaced about the body portion and fastened together by means of bolts 14 and 15, or by other suitable means. The cable D passes through an opening 16 in the cap, and through a smalleropening 17 in a .plate 18 bolted or otherwise secured to the cap. A flexible washer 19 between the cable and the walls of the opening 17 positions the cable centrally of the opening and prevents the esca e of a non-conducting composition 20 wh1ch is poured into the space surrounding the leads a and between the end of the body 1 and the cap; this composition being poured throu h suitable openings, not shown, and wh' ein a plastic state afterwards hardening so that the various parts are. united into a rigid whole. Upon the opposite end of the body 1 there is arran ed ametal ca A having an o ening 21 whic registers wit the socket 2. This ca extends entirely across the front face of t e body so as to prevent it from being injured, but need not extend longitudinally along the exterior of thebody, or only p15:- tially so, since the exterior is not a wor g surface, and the insulation may be made heavy enough to enable it to withstand ordinary usage without breaking. The two caps are therefore separated from each other by a comparatively wide gap across which it is impossible for an arc to pass. A cover 22 is inged upon lugs 23 pro'ecting from the top of the cap A, this cover dropping down in the usual manner so as to close the opening in the coupler head when the jumper is disa connected.

- holding the cab The member B consists of 'a plug of insula-; tion 24 having a socket 25 containing contacts or terminals 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90, which-cooperate with the terminals 3 to 9,, inclusive, within the head A. Leads 1) pass from these terminals to the jumper cable and out of the rear of the coupler head. The rear end of the member B is not grounded and therefore thesame precautions need not be taken to insulate the front portion from the rear portion thereof as in case of the member A; but the phig'of insulation may be surrounded entirely by a protecting metal cupB rovided with an opening 26 through which t e cable C passes. The cable is securely positioned and held by means of a cushion or washer 27 of rubber or other elastic material, arranged within the o ening 26 and surrounding the cable; the was er being compressed b means of a sleeve 28 which is forced inwar 1y by the gland 29 when the latter is screwed upon the cup. The cupl is provided with a lug 31, and the cover 22 as a. cooperating lug 32 which engages with the lug 31 and yieldingly locks the coupler heads together in the usual manner. When the coupler heads are disconnected while energized, it is impossible for an arc to pass from the terminals to ground since any arc would be unable to cross the ap between the caps even if one should reac the cap A. Wh Ihave illustrated a connector adapted to cou le seven different wires, it is of course evi ent that the number of contacts made in the cou ler heads is immaterial.

In Flgs. 3 to 5, I have illustrated a twopoint connector which is adapted for use upon railways in which there is a metallic return circuit. 1% auxiliary connections are shown and therefore the socket member A is somewhat sim ler in form than the socket member A. he body 34 consists of insulating material as before, and the suporting capA of two sections, and 120.

' 0 separate sockets 35 and 36 are prefer- 110 ably provided in this coupler head; these sockets containing, respectively, contacts 37 and 38, which carry currents of o posite potentials, and which must be insu ated from each other as well as from the ground. Magnetic fields, opposite in character, are set up about the terminals 37 and 38 when current is passing, forming. a consequent ole betweenthe terminals and serving to b ow anymcipient arc outwardly and away from the coupler head thereby providing an additional safeguard against short circuits. Instead of employing a plastic compound for e D rigidly in position in the cou ler head, I provide a thick rubber was er 39 which surrounds the cable and bears against the body portion of the coupler head and against the cap and the plate 41 carried thereby. The cap A is substantially the same as the cap A? and also carries a ear-p44 provision were made toprevent it. Instead and a reinforcing shell made in two-parts of surrounding the body 42 by a sleeve or.

cup extending from end to end, which would permit an arc to .pass readily from one terminal to the other, the sleeves are formed with an irregular curved section-or, band'43, removed therefrom in such a manner that each sleeve is divided into two ieces which inter? lock witheach other but w ich do not engage with each other; thereby providing a space of insulation across which an 'arcmust pass in order to go from one terminal to the other, and at the same time aflording substantially the same protection to the insulation that would be given by lcontinuous-rnetalsleeves. Although I have;described two .lpreferred forms of my invention in detail, the present invention is notlimited to the details. described further, than is indicated in the appended claims since, in its broader as ect's, the present invention may various other forms. a

What I claim as new and desire toiseoure by Letters Batent of the United States isf 1. A coupler -'the socket member of which comprises a supporting frame,

a cup-shaped body and covering the outer edge of said cup, the

plug member of the coupler comprising a ody of insulating .material containing a' socket, a terminal in said socket complementary -to the terminal in the other member,

body ortlon. be embodied in' '4. 1

of insulating material held by saidframe, a terminal projecting from the bottom of said cup, and a reinforcing cap secured tospaced apart surrounding the body .of insulatingmaterial. I

2.'A coupler one member of which comprises a supporting frame, a cup-shaped body of insulating material held by said frame, a

terminalprojecting from the bottom of said cup, and a reinforcing cap secured to and covering theouter edge of said cup, the other member comprising a bod of insulating material, a terminal carrie thereby complementaryto the terminal in the other member, and a reinforcing shell made in two parts surrounding said body of insulating material, said two-parts of said shell being arranged a peripheral band of insulation.

3. coupler head comprising a supporting frame, a cylindrical body of insulating material having a socket therein clamped to the frame, a terminal in'the bottom of said socket, a conductor leading through said frame to the terminal, an insulating filling surrounding the .conductor betweeri the frame and body of insulating material, and a reinforcing cap covering the outerend of the coupler head comprisin a body of insulating material havin a soc ing a terminal, separate metallic caps on aiconductor andan insu ating compound between said latter captand said body rounding said conductor.

hand this 30th dayof September, '1904.

GEQRGEH. HILL. Witnesses: 1

HELEN ORFORD,

G. O. HOLLISTER.

to intermesh but .being separated by.

portion-and sur-i V ,75 In witness whereof I have hereunto set my et contain 7o and covering the ends of said bodyportion,

assing through one of said caps, 

